GlobalSource Partners | Country Insights

El Salvador will hold presidential elections on February 4th, with president-on-leave Nayib Bukele a leading contender. Despite strong arguments about the unconstitutionality of his running for another term, Bukele’s candidacy is now a certainty. New members of Congress will also be elected and,...

Base rate reduced by 75bps only today

HUNGARY · In Brief · 30 Jan 2024

At today's meeting, the Monetary Council decided to reduce the base rate to 10%, by 75 bps, despite a recent indication by the MNB that the monthly pace of rate cuts may be accelerated to 100bps this time. After the meeting, Vice Governor Virág said that the current level and direction of the CPI...

The Evergrande court case - what's next?

CHINA ADVISORY · Report · 29 Jan 2024

The Hong Kong high court ordered one of China’s largest property developers, China Evergrande Group, to liquidate, theoretically ending several years of uncertainty about the future of the developer. The court appointed a Hong Kong restructuring firm, Alvarez and Marsal, to handle the liquidation...

Politics: Violence, elections and political control—Part One

MEXICO · Report · 29 Jan 2024

In this issue of the Political Outlook we take a look at the interrelated questions of the presence of organized crime, its effect on local governments and authorities, and politically motivated violence on the part of such criminal gangs. The bottom line is that the expansion of organized crime...

What to expect from the municipal elections and other weekly topics

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 29 Jan 2024

In the last week of the congressional recess, the government is negotiating solutions to a series of disagreements with Congress. Payroll tax relief and vetoes of congressional funds continue to create tension. The president of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), is trying to discuss friction between...

TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Cautious easing to continue in 2024

CAUCASUS / CENTRAL ASIA · Report · 26 Jan 2024

With Uzbekistan opening up the monetary policy season in the Caucasus and Central Asia on Jan 25 by keeping its key rate unchanged, we delve into our views about how central banks will conduct their rates policy this year. While average CCA inflation peaked around mid-2022, the uncertainty su...

Kazakhstan macro: Domestic demand expands amid booming consumer credit growth

KAZAKHSTAN · Report · 24 Jan 2024

On January 19, the National Bank of Kazakhstan cut the base rate by 50 bps to 15.25%, which is still high as y-o-y inflation fell to 9.8% at the end of 2023. In December, m-o-m inflation reached 0.8%, implying about 10% annualized. Meanwhile, in recent months, the annualized 3M moving average inf...

UK accuses Russia of buying munitions from North Korea

CIS POLITICS · In Brief · 23 Jan 2024

On January 23 the United Kingdom showed the UN satellite images of 3 Russian ships in North Korea that were allegedly loading munitions to be used in the Ukraine War. However, the containers loaded cannot be proven to be filled with munitions. The ships were photographed in late 2023. The US has ...

The Annual Budget Law was sanctioned by Lula yesterday, Federal Revenue Service tax auditors continue their strike, and Haddad said the government may have to cut spending to meet the zero-deficit fiscal target

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 23 Jan 2024

The Annual Budget Law (LOA), which was sanctioned by President Lula (PT) yesterday, was published in today's Federal Official Gazette. He vetoed part of the budget foreseen for committee amendments. The National Congress will likely try to overturn Lula's veto and reestablish the amendments. Acco...

Economics: Housing resurgence is limited by credit scarcity while GFI in construction of trade-related capacity dominates the private component

MEXICO · Report · 23 Jan 2024 · 1 response

Much of the dynamism that we have been witnessing in the construction sector is explained by the latest rise in spending on public works, especially with what the current administration is pumping into its flagship railroad projects, as we noted in our January 8 Outlook. However, in recent months...

US Interest Rates and the Brazilian Exchange Rate

BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Report · 22 Jan 2024

Since 2022, the movements of the Real have closely followed the variations of the Dollar Index, which in turn reflects betting on the movements of the fed funds rate. Although the market wager on an early start of the easing cycle in the United States was strengthened by the comments of Jerome Po...

The fiscal balance issue and other weekly topics

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 22 Jan 2024

Although there are no public meetings scheduled, the leaders of the National Congress, especially those in the House, are discussing payroll tax relief. This will be a busy week concerning industrial policy, with negotiations around the taxation of imported steel and the publication of the 2024-2...

Public servants hold strikes, the steel sector calls for a higher tax on imported steel, and the government is expected to sanction the 2024 Budget today

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 22 Jan 2024

The fact that the government did not include a salary raise for federal public servants in this year's budget has caused some dissatisfaction, and strike movements are beginning to gain strength. The government has not yet addressed the issue, but negotiations are underway. The government will me...

Governor Yaron appears satisfied by the fiscal adjustments recently approved in the Cabinet

ISRAEL · Report · 22 Jan 2024

1. The Governor appears cautiously optimistic regarding the recent fiscal adjustments approved in the Cabinet. 2. Inflation declined sharply in Q4 due to the impact of the war, but is likely to rise when hostilities diminish. 3. The labor market remains tight (with the number of officiall...

Governor Yaron appears satisfied by the fiscal adjustments

ISRAEL · In Brief · 22 Jan 2024

Politics/fiscal: The government approved a 16bn ILS fiscal adjustment plan for 2024, with higher taxation in 2025. The fiscal trimming in 2024 includes a 5% across-the-board fiscal cut, a higher cigarette tax and other measures. The Defense budget will increase by an additional 55bn. The Bank of ...